Acting on behalf of domestic and international clients, both public and private, particularly in transport and IT, Freeths LLP provides ‘top-tier legal advice’ in complex management-buyout acquisitions and sales of issued share capital. On the commercial side, the firm fields specialists from across the IP, employment, and regulatory spheres; commercial head Mark Neale is an expert in IT outsourcing transactions. Corporate lead Lee Clifford has vast expertise in M&A and private equity-related matters. Tom Brown covers all aspects of corporate law, and Nigel Gardner primarily handles logistics and supply chain issues. Mohammed Abbas is highlighted for his investment work, and Olivia Johnson is also cited as integral.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Very responsive and knowledgeable in identifying issues with pragmatic solutions.’
‘Tom Brown - hands-on partner who knows when to delegate and when he needs to be involved, highlighting the fee implications of doing certain actions.'
- 'Baljit Atwal - always looking to progress a deal with comprehensive support, has really evolved in the last few years.’
‘Freeths is a committed, diligent and cost-effective practice. Their quality of work & timeliness is excellent. They are flexible around a client's need and their diligence in finding solutions through complex challenges is fantastic. Their team diversity is really good and they fit around a client's ways of working, indeed very well.’
‘Lee Clifford and Olivia Johnson were fantastic in their work with us. Their quality of work and timeliness is excellent. They are flexible around a client's need, and their diligence in finding solutions through complex challenges is fantastic. Their team diversity is really good, and they fit around a client's ways of working, indeed, very well. Both are extremely trustworthy, and we would definitely work closely with Freeths across our personal investments as well. Fantastic track record of delivery.’
‘The team at Freeths provides the perfect combination of top-tier legal advice with commercial acumen. Whenever a legal issue is identified, the Freeths team provides the commercial context, provides options and guides me through the considerations and a sensible commercial position. The team looks at the engagement as a collaborative affai,r and they clearly understand the wider transaction and my goals - I find this can be quite unusual in legal firms.’
‘Lee Clifford and James Dyson are absolutely stand-out partners in the Freeths practice. Lee and James provide a clear differentiation and make it an easy decision for me to select them as my preferred legal partner. Lee and James provide superb customer service - they are always available and provide their advice in the wider context of the transaction, having real appreciation for the commercial aspects. Further, I really value their wider exposure to the transactions market, which helps to understand market norms/outliers.’
'What make the team different and so valuable to us as an business is their ability and desire to be a natural extension to us as a team, providing an invaluable 'critical friend' based service proposition, and helping us design the future evolution of the business to realise our objectives.'
'Commercial, pragmatic responsive team, always looking for for effective solutions without getting tied up in legalese.'
'Lee Clifford : gets to the heart of the matter quickly and addresses key issues. Leaves no stone unturned.'
Key clients
- Chaiiwala
- Tarmac Group
- Fastlane Paint & Body
- Now Education
- Alumasc Group
- Hydrock Group
- Funeral Partners
- Lloyds Development Capital
- Star Live
- YFM Private Equity
- Lloyds Development Capital (LDC)
- Funeral Partners
- Carbon8
- Hydrock Group
- Stone Technologies
- EH Smith
- Flow Communications
- Tarmac Group
- Shaken Udder
- Cardel Group
Work highlights
Advising the shareholders of Panesar Foods on its Sale to Paulig Estonia AS based in Helsinki.
Advising YFM Equity Partners on their investment into Replay Maintenance.
Advising Mexican food specialist Santa Maria UK Limited on the appointment of a new third-party logistics provider to provide ambient warehousing, packaging and transportation services in the UK.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Mohammed Abbas
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Olivia Johnson
Practice head
Lee Clifford; Mark Neale
Other key lawyers
Tom Brown; Nigel Gardner; Mohammed Abbas; Olivia Johnson; Baljit Atwal; Mohammad Sajjad; Hema Singhal; Shireen Eliyas